The Voyagers in… Russia
by RevvEmUp
Summary: Eleventh installation of The Voyagers. After their detour at Mars, The Voyagers continue their adventure to Alpha Centauri. Once there, they find the source of the signal: the entirety of eastern Europe and Russia on the surface of a planet!
1. Chapter 1

In the year 2031, Simon and his friends Alvin and Theodore are in a suburban area surrounded by apartment buildings. Despite the drab weather, the apartments were all painted with colourful murals, almost psychedelic with no discernible theme. "So, your cousin lives here? It looks nice." Theodore commented on his surroundings. "Yep. It's the first time I'm meeting him in years. He works as a D.J., making music and stuff." Simon elaborated. "Maybe he'll wanna join my band, really amp things up." Alvin said.

They walk into an apartment complex and climb stairs all the way to the fifth floor. They ring the doorbell, which plays very loud hardbass from inside. "Oi, blin!" a voice exclaimed from inside. Answering the door was a well-shaven man in his thirties wearing a black tracksuit and an ushanka. "'Ey, Simon!" the man exclaimed excitedly at the sight of Simon.

"[Cousin, it is good to see you!]" Simon said to the man with open arms before they hug and pat each other's backs. "Guys, this is Symeon, my cousin." Simon introduced the man to his friends. "[Cousin, these are my friends: Al and Theo. Al is the tall one.]" Simon introduced Symeon to his friends. "I know how to speak American, Simon. Please, come inside! I just got some kvass from neighbour." Symeon gestured the three to come inside. The three enter the apartment before Symeon does.

In the present, Finn, Jake, Simon, and Cherry handed over the metal cylinder containing the Galactic Federation document to Mayor Johnny Tezuka in his office in SpaceX Mars City. "Thank you, Voyagers. This will ensure a bright future for humanity. I wish you all the best for your mission." Johnny told them. "You're welcome, Mayor. We'll be sure to come back and take a look around town. My mom would really want to take a look at this place." Finn said. "I gotta say, you guys are some real courageous battlers." Johnny complimented them. "We'll be going now. It's been nice meeting you." Simon told Johnny.

The two shake hands before they walk into the elevator and descend. A device on Johnny's desk blinks with blue light as it played a ringtone. "It must be from Kirkman." Cherry commented. Johnny presses a button on the device and it projects a 3D hologram of a man with blonde quiffed hair wearing a futuristic blue jacket. "Hey, Brian. How's the military program? I just thought of a great name for it: The Courageous Battlers!" Johhny told the hologram excitedly.

The Voyagers ride Afterburn back to the Lost Light as Minefield tailed them. Awaiting them in the cargo hold in astronaut suits were the rest of the team, including Fallback and Springer. "Woah, where did you get that tank?" Springer asked. "It's a Transtector from Miss Campbell. She calls it Minefield." Simon said as they exited Afterburn. "You should've seen it in action! Simon went in, turned into a head, and blasted a hole in that dragon's head!" Jake said excitedly.

"A dragon?!" the five said in surprise. "Wait, Simon did it?" Seamus said in confusion. "I wanna drive it!" Elisa said as her eyes widened in anticipation. "What about you guys? Did you do anything fun in the ship?" Finn asked them. They stay silent and think back to robotic screaming and an Autobot shouting "Where's his head?! Where's his head?!".

"Nothing much." Seamus answered casually. "C'mon, let's get to Alpha Centauri. We'll tell you all about our adventure down there." Finn said to his team as the cargo ramp closes up. They walk back to the bridge where Hot Rod was sitting in his captain's chair. "It's about time you all returned! The faster we get to your destination, the sooner I don't have to see the shaggy one!" Hot Rod told the returning crew in frustration. "Seamus, what did you do?" Jake asked Seamus with a stern tone.

"Absolutely nothing! I'm innocent!" Seamus answered. "Whatevs, let's continue onwards to Alpha Centauri!" Finn exclaimed. "You heard the boy! Allons! Allons! Quantum jump, we go!" Hot Rod commanded his crew. His crew starts pressing buttons on their consoles as The Voyagers strapped themselves into their junk seats. The Lost Light re-directs itself away from Mars and zooms into space, its entirety being stretched into the cosmos before the rest is pulled forward.

The Voyagersm with the exception of Fallback and Springer, felt as if they were on a rollercoaster, with their faces stretched back at the speed we're going. "Yeah, the last human that came with us made that face, too." Ultra Magnus told them calmly as if nothing is happening at all. "Ssspaaaceee!" Finn yelled as his face stretched from the high speeds. The Lost Light arrives at a star system consisting of three stars and three planets. As they stopped, the six earthlings whipped forwards in their seats before slamming back.

"I never want to go to space ever again." Seamus groaned. "Doctor Gross never prepared me for this." Elisa moaned. "I can't feel my bones." Chad wheezed. Jake felt and looked fine as he unbuckled himself and leapt out of his seat. Simon unbuckled himself and vomited on the floor before him.

"Mon dieu, disgusting!" Hot Rod exclaimed. Ultra Magnus sighed before contacting Minimus again. "Get the mop… Yes, the small one… Wait, Swerve is doing what?" Ultra Magnus conversed through his communicator. "Captain, Swerve's is having another altercation. I'll be back soon." Ultra Magnus informed Hot Rod. "Just get your petit friend down here!" Hot Rod demanded.

"Hey, Springer, help me onto the window! I wanna see space!" Finn told Springer. The green giant lays down his hand for Finn to climb on and carries him to the front viewport to gaze upon the cosmos before him. "Wow… it's amazing…" Finn said in awe. "I've travelled through this void for millennia, yet it's always more beautiful every time I take a look." Springer said as Fallback joined them. Hot Rod opens some holographic screens to scan for the deep-space signal detected by Faxian.

"Ze signal is from Proxima Centauri b, the one nearest to us!" Hot Rod stated. Simon reeled back from his vomiting to say something. "Makes sense. Proxima Centauri b is in the habitable zone of the system, relative to where Earth would be in our system. It's near enough to the stars so that it won't burn, but not too far so the entire planet doesn't freeze." he stated. "Let's go save some astronauts!" Finn declared. The Lost Light flies closer to the rocky planet as Jake carried the rest of the team to the windowsill where Finn stood.

As they move closer, they see seas surrounding continents on the planet below, and a scrap metal moon orbiting the planet. "Last time I checked, there were no moons in Alpha Centauri." Simon commented. "Cybertron used to orbit these stars until it was restored by the Omega Lock, then moved to the Hadean System. The bits o' scrap must'a chocked into an artificial moon. I'm surprised the Junkion garbos haven't had a hard yakka on the place." Fallback explained. As they move in closer, they see the continents covered in green and white, indicating life in the form of plants and snow in some areas.

"Something feels familiar…" Simon commented. "Ze signal is coming from the centre of ze landmass! We'll land zere!" Hot Rod informed the team. The Lost Light enters the atmosphere and flies above a city covered in overgrown plant life and surrounded by fog. They land on an empty patch of land where what appears to be the ruins of a suburban area stood. The Voyagers exit the ship from the cargo ramp and take in their surroundings.

"It looks like there's a city there." Elisa observed her surroundings. "You're right. Even if these astronauts crashed here, they couldn't have made a city like this in the span of a thousand years from lack of equipment and resources." Simon observed. Chad holds up a smartphone-like device showing a radar detecting the source of the signal, pinging from the north. "The signal is just ahead." Chad informed everyone. "Can I ride in the tank?" Seamus asked Finn as he raised his hand up.

"I wanna drive!" Elisa argued. The two lock eyes furiously and gritted their teeth. "Why are you guys fighting over that thing? There's already a military-grade vehicle right here!" Springer commented in jealousy. "You don't have the firepower!" Elisa argued, still locking eyes on Seamus. "Firepower?! I have just as much firepower as that thing, maybe more!" Springer added.

"It's got an experimental M.H.M., so I doubt it." Jake commented. "Experimental?!" Seamus and Elisa exclaimed in awe as they directed their sights on Minefield in the cargo hold. Seamus pulls Elisa's moose-head cowl over her face as he ran towards Minefield. Elisa pushes up her cowl and darts past Seamus at incredible speeds. She climbs over the tank turret and opens the hatch before blowing a raspberry at Seamus.

She jumps into the tank and closes the hatch for Seamus to groan in frustration. "Can we get on with the mission?" Jake said impatiently to Seamus as he entered Afterburn in buggy mode with Finn. Simon, Chad, and Seamus enter Fallback as Springer took to the skies before they all go north. As Minimus Ambus watched them go off, green goo seeped through the cracks of the buildings surrounding the ship. "I hope they come back soon. I have a bad feeling about this place." he commented.

They travel through a ruined city, seeing the same vegetation covering the ruins and fog filling the air. "Maybe there used to be aliens here, but then they went extinct." Finn suggested. Simon chimes in through the radio. "That's one possibility." Simon commented. "What if these are just rock formations that just look like buildings." Jake suggested.

As they drive through the city, Simon sees an overhang road sign in strange lettering. "Wait… what…?" Simon said in surprise as he squinted his eyes at the sign. As they enter the city proper, they find more familiar sights, such as broken and functioning traffic lights, abandoned cars, all reminiscent as those from Earth. "Guys, I don't think this is was an alien civilization." Simon said in concern as they stopped at a crossroad. "What if all this just coincidentally looked like Earth stuff? I mean, everything looks the same, but that sign looks alien enough!" Jake suggested as he pointed to a road sigh written in similar writing.

"That's Russian Cyrillic, an alphabet from Earth, specifically Russia." Simon said in concern. "How many alphabets are there? I just got finished with learning Japanese so I only know three so far… kinda." Jake wondered. Elisa chimed in from within Minefield. "So, where did all this Earth stuff come from?" Elisa wondered. "That crater on Earth… Russia used to be there, if I'm correct. It was somehow… taken here at the end of the war." Simon deduced.

"Let's get to the signal. Maybe someone there can tell us what happened." Finn said. They continue onwards as green goo seeped from the windows of the buildings behind them. They soon see a tall building with colourful spires lit by spotlight from below, and a radio telescope built atop the tallest spire. "That's the Saint Basil's Cathedral! We're definitely in Russia." Simon observed.

"According to the tracker, the signal is just towards that Basil Cathedral place." Finn noted. The team follows him through the fog. They soon approach a fortress next to the cathedral with spotlights shining in the sky. "This is the Moscow Kremlin! It was the seat of the Russian government before the Mushroom War." Simon told his team. "This place has a lot of history, huh?" Finn commented.

Several bright spotlights then shone on the four vehicles before red dots covered them. "[Halt! Identify yourself!]" a voice commanded them in Russian over a megaphone from the fortress. "This isn't good." Jake bemoaned.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

"This is the part where we get out of our vehicles, isn't it?" Jake said. The six exit their respective vehicles, Springer landing just behind them, and put their hands in the air, with the exception of Jake as he kept the "normal dog" façade. "[We're _The Voyagers_! We're from Earth and we're here to help!]" Simon yelled to the fortress in Russian. The red lights flick off from them to the team's relief. The gate before them opens for a small army to approach them.

Leading them was middle-aged man with a white army crewcut and a long beard, wearing army fatigues approaches them with a stern look. Following behind him was a shorter, bespectacled woman in military fatigues in her late 30's with messy stood-up black hair as if she was recently electrified. "[Inga, ask them where they come from.]" the older man commanded his subordinate. The shorter woman approaches the team. "Uh… you are… you speak English?" the woman asked.

"Yeah…?" Simon answered. "Ah, good!" the woman said in relief. "I am Inga Vesic, head researcher of the Kremlin, the town you are standing before you." the woman introduced himself in a Russian accent. "I am so relieved that my signal has been answered! Five years ago, we built a radio telescope to contact anyone who has heard it! I had never imagined that Earth has answered!" Inga told them excitedly. "We didn't expect to find Russia here as well. We received your signal some hours ago and thought to find the source. How is Russia even here in another star system?" Simon asked.

"I am sure you are all familiar with the war that ravaged our planet. According to recorded accounts, a comet had struck the planet at the height of the war. At that instance, the sky was plunged into darkness filled with unfamiliar stars. The remaining scientists in Moscow discovered Russia, as well as most of Europe and central Asia, was transported to the Alpha Centauri system. They could not, however, deduce the means by which it was done." Inga explained. "That explains why most of Europe was missing on our way to Paris." Chad noted. "Who are you all? And why do you have a child with you?" Inga asked them. "Hey, I'm seventeen!" Finn corrected. "We are The Voyagers, an expeditionary group that seeks to find remaining human civilization all around the world. My name is Simon Petrikov, and with me are Elisa Lennox, Chad White, Seamus Dyson, Jake the Dog, and Finn Mertens, our leader." Simon introduced his team.

"Simon?" the older man said in surprise. "Oh, this is General Pyotr Petrikov, our town's leader. We did not anticipate a distant relative of his to come." Inga said. Pyotr approaches Simon and looks him in the eye. He pulls a small piece of paper from his right breast pocket and unfolds it into a very, very, long poster of weathered paper with younger, whiter paper, attached to the bottom, extending its length. On the poster was a very long family tree of the Petrikov family.

At the bottom was Pyotr and somewhere in the middle was Simon, with his cousin Simeon in the same row. "[This is not possible! You look just like my distant ancestor!]" Pyotr told Simon. "[It's complicated.]" Simon answered. Jake nudges Finn with his left front leg. "This is the part where we get thrown into the slammer for impersonation, isn't it?" Jake whispered to Finn.

As expected, everyone except Simon was imprisoned in a jail cell. "Whatever Simon's doing, I hope he can get us out." Jake said. "If not, Fallback and Springer can blow a hole and rescue us." Seamus added. Soon, two guards, Inga, Pyotr, and Simon approached the cells. The guards unlock the cell and let the team out.

"Thanks for letting us go." Finn told Pyotr. "You should thank your friend Simon, here. He beat the General in Kalashnikov, with a golden Kalashnikov of hearts; the signature move of the Petrikovs! And in return, he has proved his status as a Petrikov, and earned your freedom." Inga informed them. The General turns to Simon with a look of pride. "[You gave me a Kalashnikov experience like never before.]" the General told Simon confidently. "So, are we all cool now?" Jake wondered.

"Yes… talking dog. For the moment." Inga informed them. "So, what do we do now? Do we just load you all in the ship or what?" Finn wondered. "We are all fine with living here, despite the countless attacks over the centuries by bandits and mutants. Our main recent problem is a band of invaders. According to old records, they are called Decepticons." Inga answered. "Decepticons?" Elisa repeated. "Yes, five of them. They have been trying to take over our radio telescope for some reason. It's been happening for about a week." Inga explained.

"[Even if they want a piece of junk atop a historical site, it's still our piece of junk! If you have any weapons to space, we would appreciate your help in defeating these invaders!]" Pyotr added. Finn approaches the General and looks him in the eye. "I don't know what you said, but we're gonna bust some robo-butts… together!" Finn declared as he extended his hand to him. "[I don't know what you said, but we shall defeat this threat together!]" Pyotr responded, clasping his hand with Finn's before they both shake in agreement.

"[General, there are two more we want to introduce to you.]" Simon told Pyotr. They exit the prison and into the fortress, built as a town made from makeshift materials around ancient government buildings. They approach the military barracks where Springer, Fallback, Afterburn, and Minefield were kept. "Hey, they're back!" Springer communicated discreetly to Fallback. "Springer, Fallback, transform!" Finn commanded.

Springer transforms into robot mode until he towers over the humans with the soldiers aiming their guns at him before Fallback does the same. "Inga, Pyotr, this is Springer and Fallback. They're Autobots. I'm pretty sure you know who they are, if you know about history and stuff." Finn introduced the militia to Springer. "[Amazing…]" Pyotr said in amazement at the sight of the green giant. "[Good afternoon. I am _Springer_, _The Voyagers'_ air transport.]" Springer introduced himself in Russian. "Arvo, I'm Fallback, the team's ground transport." Fallback introduced himself.

"This will definitely help us in fending off these Decepticons!" Inga said excitedly. "There's 'Cons? No biggie, we've fought them for millions of years!" Springer told him confidently. "Don't worry, General. We'll help you defeat the Decepticons and bring you all back to Earth, somehow, someday!" Finn declared. Pyotr turns to Simon with a puzzled look. "[Are the buggy and tank robots as well?]" Pyotr asked Simon.

"[They are more like suits than actual robots.]" Simon answered. "[Amazing. If we're still alive after all this, the Kremlin would be in your debt.]" Pyotr told Simon. "[No need for that. We're just helping you out because it's the right thing to do, and also because you're my family.]" Simon told Pyotr. "[You still haven't told me how you've lived this long.]" Pyotr told Simon. "[Maybe after this.]" Simon responded.

Meanwhile in a dark place, lit only by sparks flying, legions of protoforms were built at an alarming rate. Overseeing this process was a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness. "[Excellent… Excellent! Soon, we will bring the Decepticons back to our former glory and take over _Cybertron_!]" a familiar queen-like voice chortled in Japanese. A crash was heard behind her. "[Watch where you're going!]" the voice scolded an unseen person.

"[My apologies, my lady. May we please turn on the lights?]" a childish voice represented by red sunglasses asked of her superior. "[No! We must use as much energy for the production of our new army! Soon, we will take that machine and find Lord Megatron!]" the queenly voice rejected. "[As you wish, my lady.]" the subordinate acknowledged. The regal figure resumed watching over her creations when she hears another crash in the darkness. "[Good grief…]" she bemoaned.

Back at the Moscow Kremlin, the guards were standing atop he walls as the citizens evacuated further underground by other soldiers. The Voyagers were also preparing for the upcoming battle with Finn preparing to transform into Headmaster mode with the new belt-device provided by his mother. "So, this is how she improved it. I'll give it a shot." Finn said as he examined the bulky device. He puts it to his waist for a black strap to wrap around him. "Ooh, not too tight. I never really wear belts much because they hug my love handles too hard, but this feels alright." Finn commented.

He places his Master Brace in the circular slot and yells "Head on!" before transforming into Headmaster mode. He turns to Elisa, who was admiring Minefield's tank mode. "Hey, Elisa!" Finn called to her. She turns to Finn with a smile. He hands her another Master Belt that Simon previously on Mars. "Since Simon doesn't want to use Minefield, I thought since you were the toughest one in our team, you should be the one to pilot him." Finn advised.

She gleefully takes the Master Belt and equips it on her waist. "Thank you, sir!" Elisa thanked Finn. "Just call me Finn." Finn told her. She removes the Master Brace holstered on the belt's right side and inserts it into the belt. "Head on!" she exclaimed.

Her body envelops itself in metal before forming heavy-duty armour matching her height. The Transtector beside her transforms into robot mode and combines with her. "Oh, wow, this feels amazing! Do you feel this great every time you transform?!" Elisa's voice boomed from Minefield. "It's adrenaline. It's normal when you're about to go to battle. Go join Fallback at the wall. That cathedral is just there. We should expect the Decepticons to strike there, if Inga's predictions are right." Finn told Elisa. She salutes and sprints towards the east, leaving large footprints behind.

Jake approaches Finn, covered completely in a cluster of parts from military vehicles, making him resemble a walking pile of junk with his head sticking out of the top. "Jake… what's with the junk?" Finn asked him. "It's my new armour! Since I'm too squishy to fight robots, I thought that I would scrounge up some scrap for armour! That Yuri guy sure was helpful enough to pick out the best parts… after he stopped screaming at a talking dog for five minutes." Jake answered. "Heh, heh." Finn chuckled.

"So, wanna go battle mode together?" Jake asked Finn. "Aw yeah!" Finn answered excitedly. Afterburn transforms and grabs Finn as he transforms into a head to combine together. Afterburn's new robot mode was vastly different from his previous appearance and consists of the buggy's front-end composing most of the chest with intact wheels on the lower torso, armoured doors covering his arms, the entirety of the vehicle's rear composing his legs, and his head bore a cage-like mask like a hockey goalie while retaining Afterburn's visor. Jake stretches out into a larger version of himself, equipped with green metal with good coverage of his body.

"What time is it?" "Fortress Defence Time!" the two declared as they high-fived. Simon approaches them wearing an army helmet. "Usually this is the part where you guys punch me in the face and tell me I'm a stinky dingus." Simon chuckled as he looked at the two giants. "Yeah… those were the days." Finn reminisced. "You guys better get to the wall. I'll be in the bunker with Inga and the rest of the people." Simon informed the two. "See you when the smoke clears!" Jake told Simon.

Simon runs to a bunker, joining Chad and Seamus. "I'm not sure if I should be glad or worried that we're staying in the side-lines." Seamus said. "At least we don't have to fight." Chad added. The three enter the bunker before the dense steel door closes and locks.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Finn and Jake stomps towards the fortified wall overlooking the colourful cathedral and up reinforced scaffolding to the top of the wall where Minefield, Fallback, a line of soldiers and the General was waiting. Afterburn has activated a universal translator program to speak to and understand Pyotr. "[General, am I speaking Russian?]" Afterburn asked the General. "[Ah… yes, you are. I assume you are ready?]" Pyotr asked. "[Ready as I will ever be.]" Afterburn answered.

"Let the 'Cons come!" Fallback exclaimed. The army watches closely at the cathedral for any movement. In the fog, they hear something in the distance, almost like low humming. Pyotr puts a pair of binoculars to his eyes and looks behind the cathedral, seeing fleets of purple sports cars zooming through the streets. "[There's hundreds of them…]" Pyotr muttered.

Afterburn uses a zoom function on his optics as Jake stretched his eyeballs into binoculars to spy the informing fleet. "Man, that's a lotta them." Jake commented. "Jake, Fallback, you're with me on the ground. Elisa, stay here and shoot any 'Cons that come near with your M.H.M., but be careful with it. You don't wanna slice the cathedral in half." Afterburn commanded his team. Afterburn, Jake, and Fallback jump off the wall and onto the street below to face the villains. "Get ready…" Afterburn told his teammates.

The sport cars emerge from the street corners from all around them and transform into robot modes closely resembling Ishinomaki's guardian The Voyagers met before in Japan. They flooded the streets and pointed their arm-blasters at the three. "Wow, that's really a lotta them." Jake commented as he stretched his hands into mallets covered with tank turrets. The Decepticons on the street to the right split apart to let very familiar characters approach the team: The Five Deck. "It's you! You're trying to look for Megatron, aren't you?!" Afterburn yelled.

"Ufufu…" she chuckled. "You are very correct! I have traced Megatron to this very planet! Now all I need is this machine those humans kindly made for us to take!" Megatronia continued. "What happened to dealing with Lockdown?" Jake asked. "We ran out of allowance money. We only had enough for a Vehicon army kit." Trickdiamond explained. "But it will be worth it! Once we destroy you and locate Megatron, the Decepticons rise beyond the need for funding and take what we want!" Megaempress declared.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Afterburn declared as he removed the human-sized Night Sword from a compartment in his left shin. He holds the blade by his index finger and thumb before his other hand presses a button on the bottom of the grip, causing it to enlarge to accommodate his large size. "Let's bring it!" Jake yelled. "[_Moonheart_, _Lunaclub_, take the machine. _Flowspade_, _Trickdiamond_, you two are with me!]" Megaempress commanded her subordinates in Japanese. The helicopters transform into vehicle mode and take to the skies as the rest rush towards The Voyagers with their weapons out.

The two parties clash as the Autobots take down tens of Vehicons at a time. Afterburn and Jake smashed and slashed the Vehicons with their sword and mallets as Fallback used his machine pistols to shoot holes into them. From atop the wall, the soldiers were firing upon the Vehicons alongside Minefield, who carves through the legions with her M.H.M. beam, leaving halves and quarters of drones on the streets. As the two helicopter Decepticons fiery above the radio telescope, Springer comes in and opens fire on them, starting a helicopter dogfight. Megaempress leaps at The Voyagers with her serrated pickaxe weapon, flanked by Flowspade and Trickdiamond with their crossbow and shield.

Megaempress swings her pickaxe at Afterburn, who dodges the attack, leaving the weapon embedded in the asphalt. As she struggled to pull her weapon out of the ground, Afterburn swings the Night Sword into her, knocking her away. As Flowspade and Trickdiamond fought Jake and Fallback, they notice their superior in trouble. "[My lady!]" Trickdiamond yelled. The two kick their respective opponents in the stomach and turn towards Afterburn. Trickdiamond drives her shield into the ground, causing the asphalt below Afterburn to pop out into a pillar, launching Afterburn into the sky.

"What the heck what that?!" Jake wondered. "New upgrades, courtesy of Lockdown." Flowspade said coldly before throwing her crossbow towards Afterburn. "What the–" Afterburn said as the crossbow flies towards him. As he starts to fall, he re-orients himself so he faces the boomerang and precisely flicks it away with the swing of his Night Sword. The boomerang comes back towards him at a greater speed, but Afterburn deflects it once more.

This process repeats over and over as Afterburn falls to the ground until the boomerang is too fast to be deflected. It opens severe gashes in Afterburn's armour. He then crashes into a group of Vehicons Jake and Fallback just happened to be fighting, destroying them. "Ow." he said as he was embedded into the ground. Jake and Fallback helped him out of the ground as Megaempress approached them with Flowspade and Trickdiamond at her side. "You guys are getting pretty good at this." Afterburn told them.

"You really think so?!" Megaempress said excitedly, taking Afterburn's statement as a compliment. Jake throws his armoured fist at Flowspade beside her to the surprise of the other two Decepticons. "Yep. Still, you're not getting that thing while I'm here!" Afterburn answered. "Grr…" Megaempress growled. She pries her pickaxe out of the ground and charges towards the three with Trickdiamond.

The Autobots get out of the way to engage the threat; Afterburn and Jake with Megaempress and Fallback against Trickdiamond. Due to her large size, Megaempress is too slow to react to both running and jumping around her as she swings her pickaxe around, constantly being either poked by the Night Sword or pushed by Jake's punches. As Jake went behind her for a punch, she deploys her ladder boom from her back into Jake's exposed face. "Ow!" Jake yelped as he stood there before being knee-kicked by Megaempress. Afterburn jumps into the air with his Night Sword about to be plunged into Megaempress.

She blocks the attack with her pickaxe and parries him away. Afterburn is sent rolling on the ground by her parry and is immediately accosted by Flowspade. She aims her crossbow at Afterburn's face, but he quickly gets up and pokes her right optic with the Night Sword. "[Ah! Not again!]" Flowspade screamed as she clutches her face in pain. As Afterburn turns towards Megaempress, she fires her fusion cannon at him.

The beam nearly misses him, just only grazing his shoulder as it passes by his head. "I've had enough! Five Deck, gattai!" Megaempress yelled angrily. From behind, Flowspade kicks down Afterburn and walks over him to Megaempress. The three Decepticons on the ground transform into vehicle mode before combining into an armless Megatronia with an incomplete helmet. In the skies, Springer continued to chase after the helicopter sisters when Megatronia extended tentacle-like cables towards them.

The cables extended high enough to wrap around Springer. "What in the Pit is this?!" he exclaimed. The tentacles then throw him towards the Kremlin's wall. The soldiers and Minefield flee from Springer's trajectory before he crashes into the wall. The tentacles grab onto both helicopters and pull them down and combine with them, transforming them into arms and completing Megatronia's formation.

"[Combination complete! Megatronia!]" the collective voices of all components cried out in Japanese. "Not again!" Afterburn bemoaned as he looked upon the giant. Attacking from behind Megatronia was Jake wrapping his bare arms and legs around them. "I'm gonna pull you apart like fresh mozzarella!" Jake yelled. Megtronia stumbles around, poking Jake's skin with her multiple edges between parts of their body.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Jake exclaimed in pain. Megatronia pulls his main body off and throws him into Springer embedded in the wall. "Jake!" Afterburn yelled. He rushes towards Megatronia with his Night Sword with fury in his heart, but he is grabbed up by Megatronia's hands. They put him up to their face as Afterburn struggles and smiles evilly.

"Let… me… go!" Afterburn demanded. Megatronia squeezes his body, wrecking his armour and mechanisms as he screams in pain. She puts him in their right hand and prepares to catapult him into the sky. "Saraba da!" Megatronia said to Afterburn. Jake merges from Springer's cockpit and looks upon the combiner.

At that moment, Megatronia launches him into the sky. "Finn!" Jake exclaimed. Minefield sees Afterburn's remains flying in the sky and is instantly filled with rage. "Finn… Finn!" she cried out. "Crikey…" Fallback muttered as he looked upon Megatronia turning towards him.

Finn lands a great distance away from Moscow in the overgrown ruins of a city, so overgrown it looks more like a forest than Moscow did. Afterburn's parts were scattered around Finn as a disembodied and damaged head. "C'mon… C'mon…" Finn struggled as he tries to transform into Headmaster mode. He slowly transforms into a humanoid form before his Master Belt pops off his waist, removing his Headmaster armour. Finn picks up the Master Belt, the Master Brace that popped out, and the shrunken Night Sword.

"Dang… this was brand new." Finn said. He looks around the wreckage with a look of worry. "Afterburn just got fixed, too." he added. He looks back to the direction which he came from. "Man, that's a long way back. Still, I gotta hurry!" Finn said. He puts the Master Belt into his backpack and started walking back, unaware of the gooey threat following him.

He walks through the city, seeing the same greenery as before until he comes across collapsed bridge over a river. "Bridge's out. I'll either have to find another way or swim across." Finn observed. His eyes dart between the road to his right and the river below. "Looks like I'm getting hypothermia!" Finn said confidently before walking down to the river. As he walks down the hill, a small pool of green is seen on the water's surface.

"Uh oh…" he said. Emerging from the water was a misshapen green figure oozing with goo from its orifices. The mutant shambled towards Finn as it dripped with a mixture of water and its own gooey fluids. "Crud, not these guys again!" Finn exclaimed in caution. He looks behind and sees more gooey mutants emerging from the ruins behind him. He brandishes his Night Sword as they converged upon him.

"Please be acid-proof…" Finn hoped as he gripped the sword tightly. He swings his sword at the mutant behind him from the river, cutting it in half. "Yes! Thank you cursed sword!" Finn said excitedly. The mutant he cut down was still alive and crawling towards him, so he diced it into pieces before facing more to his left. He is quickly overwhelmed by mutants as he continued slashing them to pieces.

"No… I gotta get back to my friends!" he exclaimed. At that very moment, the mutants stop in their tracks. Finn looks around, puzzled. He pokes his Night Sword at one of them and the mutants instantly fall apart. "Wow, this worked better than I thought." he said as he looked at his sword.

He sees a man before him, mere feet away from the gooey mutant carcasses. "Who…?" Finn said as he looked towards the figure. The man before him was the mysterious owner of Agito café who previously helped him in Paris, now wearing a black suit coat over a magenta shirt and black pants, and holding an acid-soaked sword. "It's you. How did you get all the way here?" Finn wondered. The man walks backwards and disappears into the mist.

"Hey, wait!" Finn yelled as a large shadow fall upon him. He looked behind and sees a massive oozing mutant standing behind him, about a similar height as an aircraft-mode Transformer. "Aw, dang." Finn bemoaned. The mutant raises its gigantic fist and slams it down upon Finn.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

"Ugh… where am I?" Finn wondered as he opens his eyes. He awakens and finds himself inside a ruined building overrun with plant life. Before him was a lit campfire as he was lying in a leather sleeping bag. "Did the barista save me?" Finn wondered. Sitting across him was the silhouette of a very tall Cybertronian. "Who's there?" Finn asked the mysterious individual.

Kindles flew past the figure, showing a tall, dark green Cybertronian bearing rusted S.U.V. chassis plating, a boxy head with a diagonal scar going across the right side of their face, and yellow glowing eyes. "You're awake, good." The Cybertronian told Finn in a deep, imposing voice. "You… you saved me." Finn said to The Cybertronian. "You're welcome." The Cybertronian told Finn sternly. "Uh, what's your name?" Finn asked The Cybertronian.

"I don't have one." The Cybertronian told Finn. "Why?" Finn asked. "I didn't like it." The Cybertronian told him. "Well thanks, but I gotta go and find my friends. There are a bunch of Decepticons looking for their old leader, Megatron." Finn said as he got out of the leather sleeping bag. "Decepticons? Megatron? I haven't heard those names in a very long time." The Cybertronian told Finn.

"Hey, could you help me get to the Kremlin? I don't know where it is, but you've got a G.P.S. in that robo-brain of yours, right?" Finn asked of The Cybertronian. "I do not want to be involved with the Decepticons. You shall have to walk there yourself, and pray your… friends are still alive." The Cybertronian told Finn. "Well, okay. I guess I'll see ya later." Finn said as he grabbed his backpack next to him. He wears his backpack and walks towards a garage door behind The Cybertronian. "Just you wait, Megaempress. We're gonna kick your can!" Finn exclaimed as he neared the exit.

Suddenly, The Cybertronian stood up. "Wait, I can take you to the old capital." he told Finn. "What made you change your mind?" Finn asked. "That name… Megaempress. I knew her. I have been looking for her, I wanted to give her, as you humans say; a piece of my mind." The Cybertronian answered. "Looks like there's two people with grudges on her." Finn said.

The Cybertronian opens the garage doors before he crawls out into the evening. He transforms into a squarish dark green S.U.V. covered in mud and rust, bearing a very large spiked grille, vertical rectangular headlights, and a scratched-out Decepticon insignia on the grille. "You used to be a Decepticon?" Finn asked The Cybertronian as he entered the front passenger door. "Yes… I used to be. I used to… enjoy conquering and destroying inferior lifeforms. One day, I saw all my actions throughout my life and saw tyranny and suffering. So, I left the Decepticons and roamed the galaxy in exile." The Cybertronian told Finn as they drive down the road. "Man, that's tough." Finn said.

About an hour later, they arrive back at the Kremlin on the cathedral side. The east wall was severely damaged as the fortress' denizens were hard at work to repair it. The cathedral also suffered some damage in the form of several crumbling spires, but the radio telescope remained. "I guess we won that fight while I was gone." Finn commented upon the cathedral. The spotlights shone on The Cybertronian and Finn as they stopped.

"[Identify yourself!]" Pyotr's voice boomed. Finn steps out and waves his arms around. "It's me, Finn!" Finn yelled. The lights shut off as a very long yellow leg steps over the wall and sets down before Finn followed by Jake reeling in after to meet Finn with a relieved smile. Finn, you're alive!" Jake said to Finn with a very strong hug.

"I've been through worse, haven't I?" Finn replied. The team ran through the fallen wall to Finn. "I knew you'd come back!" Simon told Finn. Elisa then gave Finn a tight hug while Jake was still hugging him and lifted them up. "It's great to see you guys, too." Finn said with a strained tone as he and Jake were being squeezed before Elisa lets them go.

Pyotr and Inga then approached Finn. "You really are an amazing child." Inga told Finn. "So, it looks like the Decepticons didn't get their claws on the radio telescope." Finn said as he looked to the cathedral. "Yes, thanks to the efforts of your team." Inga informed Finn. "Unfortunately, the walls were destroyed and Springer was injured." Simon informed Finn.

"He'll be fine. It wasn't as bad as last time." Seamus added. "So, who's your friend?" Jake asked Finn of the S.U.V. behind him. The Cybertronian transforms into robot mode and looks down on the humans and Jake menacingly. "This guy saved me from toxic monsters just like those in the Desert of Wonder. He also has a kind of grudge against Megaempress, so he agreed to send me back here so we can all fight her." Finn introduced The Cybertronian to his team. "What's your name?" Inga asked The Cybertronian.

"He doesn't have one." Finn said. "Well, when you two arrived, we were planning an attack on Megaempress' base." Inga told Finn. "You found them?" Finn wondered. "We identified certain parts of the drones as being manufactured by Secure-T, a pre-war company that created Transformers for commercial use. Their only known factory in Moscow is located northeast from here." Inga added. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go after them." Finn declared.

"So, you're coming, right?" Jake asked The Cybertronian. "Of course. However, your human friend shall have to find a different mode of transportation. That was the last time I let a human inside me." The Cybertronian told Finn. Inga tells the agreement to Pyotr. "[Deploy our troops and have them assist _The Voyagers_.]" Pyotr told Inga. "[That will not be necessary. I already am an army.]" The Cybertronian told Pyotr in Russian.

Later, The Voyagers were en-route to Megaempress' base with The Cybertronian following behind. Elisa drove Minefield as the rest of the team were riding in Fallback. "Are you sure about this fella? He's a bit etch, isn't he? You did say he was an ex-'Con." Fallback asked Finn. "He seemed pretty eager to fight Megaempress. He only agreed to bring me back because I told him about her." Finn answered. "I'll keep an eye on this guy, just in case." Fallback said.

They soon arrive at the industrial district where they can see the outline of a tower-like factory in the mist. Patrolling the streets were Vehicons, almost half the amount that attacked the Kremlin. "Uh, oh." Seamus bemoaned. "Man, that's still a lot." Jake commented. The Cybertronian transforms into robot mode, and with a wave of his hand he shuts them down.

"Did you see that? They just shut down!" Seamus noted. "This guy musta been a high-ranking 'Con if he had the power to shut off Vehicons like that." Fallback noted. "Fallback, I think we should be careful around this guy." Simon told Fallback. The Cybertronian connects to the team's communication channel. "They should be coming out now. Be ready, but let me speak to them first." The Cybertronian told them.

Inside the factory, the Five Deck were relaxing in Transformer-sized salon chairs and were being manicured by Vehicons when they suddenly shut off mid-filing. "[_Eh_?! What is going on?!]" Megaempress shrieked as she swiped aside the two Vehicons that were tending to her claws. The five steps outside and see their army standing still outside the factory with their heads lowered. "[_Oi_, what are you all doing?! Get back to work!]" Megaempress commanded. The army activated briefly, only to be shut off again.

"[Perhaps Lockdown peddled a bad _kit_?]" an eye-patched Flowspade suggested. "[I shall track him down and kill him, my lady.]" Trickdiamond declared as she brandished her shield. "That won't be necessary!" the Cybertronian shouted to them. He walks through the fog-covered army towards the Decepticon team. "Fallback, you're our backup if this gets hairy." Finn told Fallback.

"Roger that!" Fallback acknowledged. The Voyagers exit their vehicles and follow The Cybertronian through the inactive army. "It's you!" Megaempress shrieked at the sight of The Voyagers beside The Cybertronian. "What did you do to our army?" Lunaclub asked. "I used my old Decepticon general clearance to shut down your sorry excuse for an army." The Cybertronian told Megaempress.

"You're a Decepticon, too?! Why are you helping the humans?! You should join us to retake Cybertron for ourselves!" Megaempress asked The Cybertronian angrily as she pointed her fusion cannon at them. Finn turns around and speaks with Fallback on a walkie-talkie. "Get ready." he whispered. "I'm not helping the humans. The humans helped me to find you. I have been searching the galaxy for you, Megaempress." The Cybertronian told her. "Oh, so you have heard of me; the great and powerful Megaempress?" Megaempress said bashfully as she lowered her weapon.

"Of course, I gave you that name, after all." The Cybertronian responded. "Wait, does that mean…" Simon said in fear as he looked up at The Cybertronian. "I… am… Megatron!" The Cybertronian's voice boomed so great, the surrounding fog clears. Fallback transforms into robot mode and points to Megatron. "I knew something was etch about him! Don't worry, mates! I'll save you!" he yelled before running towards Megatron.

Moonheart swings her magenta sword at Fallback, freezing him in a block of ice. "Otosan… it's really you!" Megaempress said before she leapt forward to hug her slightly shorter father as The Voyagers back away. "What do we do now? Optimus said this Megatron guy's hecka dangerous!" Jake whispered to Finn. Megatron pushes Megaempress of him to her surprise.

"Megaempress, I declared you my rightful heir one-thousand years ago. I envisioned you to be a powerful Decepticon leader. But, as time went on, I realized my cause was… not worth it. I urge you to stop this delusion of rebuilding the Decepticons. The war is over." Megatron told Megaempress. "But, I've… I've been looking all over for you! You can't just tell me to give up!" Megaempress whined. "Soon, you shall see why I surrendered to the Autobots. You can play your silly game, but know this: it will only bring suffering to all… including you." Megatron told Megaempress sternly. The fog rolls back, surrounding the area and obscuring everyone's vision. Megatron then walks away from the factory into the fog.

"Otosan, wait!" Megaempress called out to him as he walks into the mist. From the night sky above them, a space bridge emerges for Jetfire to emerge in jet mode. He swoops down and captures the Five Deck, sweeping away the fog. As he disappears into space, Megatron is nowhere to be found. "I can't believe it, that was Megatron!" Simon panicked.

"Yet we're still alive… that's gotta be worth a medal." Seamus said. "I guess we can call this a mission complete." Finn said, bewildered by this encounter. "Yeah, let's go home." Jake said. They then remember Fallback is still frozen.

Back at the Lost Light, the crew was fending off hordes of goo monsters with their advanced weaponry. Hot Rod was atop the Lost Light cockpit, shooting time-stopping grenades at the monsters for the crew to take them out without resistance. Ultra Magnus was flying around the Lost Light using blue armour equipped with four wings and jet boosters, not unlike the one used by Optimus Prime when he and the Autobots fought against GOLB many months ago. "There's no end to these things!" Ultra Magnus yelled. "This will take forever!" Hot Rod added.

Emerging from the mist was a tall hooded figure with glowing yellow eyes. They extended their clawed hand, armed with a fusion cannon. With one beam, they eliminate the advancing horde from the south, causing the others to flee in terror. The Autobots look upon this mysterious figure as he walked to the ship. "I request safe passage… to Earth." The figure requested.

THE END


End file.
